Anaylsis of Leo Tolstoy and the death of Ivan Ilych

"(Katz 425) According to Dayananda "Death like birth is inexperiencable; you can observe anothers public death but not your own." (Katz 423) Tolstoy's fascination with death and its affects almost seem as vivid as a new baby's parents upon delivery. He saw beauty as well as the pain and suffering that Ilych endured. Tolstoy's eccentric writing style about death was very unusual to writers of his time. Nevertheless, the story of the death of Ivan Ilych is in no way ineffectual. .
             In the story "The Death of Ivan Ilych" upon Peter Ivanovich's viewing of the body, the speaker begins to give a brief description of what Ivanovich sees. He opens up by saying "The dead man lay, as dead men always lie, in a specially heavy way, his limbs sunk in the soft cushions of the coffin." (Katz 125) In certain connotations the situation can be viewed from two perspectives. The first observation is quite evident as in the works of Tolstoy. "The dead man lay in a specially heavy way," (Katz 125) denotes the relationship that exists between Tolstoy and this work. During the first half of his career, .
             Tolstoy was considered a bewildered individual. He behaved as though he were dead, yet still among the living. Nonetheless, the heavy unsettled description of Ilych is paralleled to Tolstoy's own personal life. As time progressed, Tolstoy's life began to develop. He received answers in life he had for so long desired, which altered his outlook for the better. Nevertheless, Tolstoy finally figured out what his purpose was in life. Not only that, but he changed from a religious standpoint as well. As a result, he seemed to have become more fulfilled within himself as he mirrors the life of Ivan Ilych. The next noticeable element was that one could contrast this change within Tolstoy as a resurrection of his existence. In this work the author states "much has changed and had grown even thinner since Peter Ivanovich had last seen him, but, as is always the case with the dead, his face was handsomer and above all more dignified than when he was alive.